Corn Dollies
Many folk stories surround the tradition of Corn Dollies. It is said
that they date back 5,000 years but there is no actual evidence that
this is true. We do know that the Old Testament of the Bible mentions
the presentation of a specially decorated sheaf of corn to the temple,
but does not mention the making of corn dollies, or special shapes.
Neither is there evidence of corn dollies in the times of the Egyptian
pharaoh's, although much has been written and claimed.
The belief in gods and goddesses who were thought to control the life forces predates Christianity. There are many stories of the various goddesses who protected the harvest ~ Demeter in Greece, Ceres in Italy, Isis in Egypt; the story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone is believed to relate to the germination of seed. Ceremonies of celebration to mark the end of a successful harvest can be found around the world, but as to when they began to involve specific shapes is the subject of debate. It is important to understand that the celebration of harvest relates to all forms of harvest: rice, maize, peas, beans as well as wheat, oats, rye and barley.
